1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to circuit breakers, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for interlocking two or more circuit breaker pole armatures to coordinate breaker tripping events.
2. Description of the Related Art
In many multi-pole circuit breaker designs, a crossbar is used to interface with handles associated with each mechanism pole. The crossbar ties the handles together at a pivot point to ensure that all live conductors are interrupted when any pole trips in the multi-pole breaker. This is referred to as a “common trip” breaker, which ties the poles together via their operating handles.
Without a way to link the breakers together, one armature may trip independently of the other, and the other pole mechanism would then take on more current and thus delay the time to trip. This may cause damage to the circuit of the load for which the circuit breaker was to provide protection.